The only two cars I'm interested in right now are the Cadillac CTS Coupe and the upcoming Chevrolet SS. I wish wish wish that were a two door car. I also wish Ford would make a few more nice looking coupes. I just hate sedans.

The SS is going to be an import from Australia, where it is sold as a Holden Commodore. GM sold it here for a few years as the Pontiac G8. Right now I have a 2004 Pontiac GTO with 70,000 miles. Its another Australian Holden import.

Hockeynut! wrote:I'm trying to talk myself out of buying a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. Feel free to chime in and tell me how much they suck so I feel better.

I owned a regular Wrangler years ago. Wranglers are loud as heck inside (even with a hardtop), have a bouncy ride, and get lousy fuel economy even though they’re not all that big because they have the aerodynamics of a brick. I agree with mac; a Wrangler would make a really fun second car for weekend adventures, but I wouldn't want to use one as a daily driver.

Hockeynut! wrote:I'm trying to talk myself out of buying a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. Feel free to chime in and tell me how much they suck so I feel better.

I owned a regular Wrangler years ago. Wranglers are loud as heck inside (even with a hardtop), have a bouncy ride, and get lousy fuel economy even though they’re not all that big because they have the aerodynamics of a brick. I agree with mac; a Wrangler would make a really fun second car for weekend adventures, but I wouldn't want to use one as a daily driver.

The new ones have gotten a lot better. My point still stands though, but if you dont do much highway or long haul driving, go for it.

Hockeynut! wrote:I'm trying to talk myself out of buying a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. Feel free to chime in and tell me how much they suck so I feel better.

I owned a regular Wrangler years ago. Wranglers are loud as heck inside (even with a hardtop), have a bouncy ride, and get lousy fuel economy even though they’re not all that big because they have the aerodynamics of a brick. I agree with mac; a Wrangler would make a really fun second car for weekend adventures, but I wouldn't want to use one as a daily driver.

The JKU (the unlimited hes talking about) is a great rig for photography gear as well as a family automobile and a ton of leisure time fun. like you said, it has the aerodynamics of a post office truck, but thats besides the point. my brother has a JKU and loves it. if you have any questions, let me know and i can probably answer it. the hard top is clutch for the winter time and isnt that difficult to take off.the only thing i would be hesitant on is that their is a new body style coming out in 14-15, as well as diesel offerings (supposedly). the downside of that is the rumors that the new wranglers will have more of a hummer look (smaller windshield for example).

mac5155 wrote:The new ones have gotten a lot better. My point still stands though, but if you dont do much highway or long haul driving, go for it.

I’m sure the interiors are better. The air conditioning in my Wrangler was completely independent from the heater and was located under the dashboard. You had to reach down and turn it on separately. Mine was also the first year of fuel-injected engines (the venerable Jeep 4.0 liter straight six). The new ones aren’t much better on fuel economy, however. I see they get around 18–20 mpg. Mine pretty much got 18 mpg no matter what I did. I could probably have rolled it down a hill with the engine off and still somehow managed to get 18 mpg. On the other hand, it was fun to drive off-road and could go darn near anywhere, and there’s a near-endless array of accessories to pimp your ride. Want chrome door hinges? No problem. Accessory lights like you’re running Baja? You bet. New bumpers? There are literally dozens of options. I used to get big thick catalogs in the mail that were nothing but Wranger parts and accessories.

mac5155 wrote:The new ones have gotten a lot better. My point still stands though, but if you dont do much highway or long haul driving, go for it.

I’m sure the interiors are better. The air conditioning in my Wrangler was completely independent from the heater and was located under the dashboard. You had to reach down and turn it on separately. Mine was also the first year of fuel-injected engines (the venerable Jeep 4.0 liter straight six). The new ones aren’t much better on fuel economy, however. I see they get around 18–20 mpg. Mine pretty much got 18 mpg no matter what I did. I could probably have rolled it down a hill with the engine off and still somehow managed to get 18 mpg. On the other hand, it was fun to drive off-road and could go darn near anywhere, and there’s a near-endless array of accessories to pimp your ride. Want chrome door hinges? No problem. Accessory lights like you’re running Baja? You bet. New bumpers? There are literally dozens of options. I used to get big thick catalogs in the mail that were nothing but Wranger parts and accessories.

that 4.0 6 is one of the best engines known to man. its a shame they got away from it. that thing is a tank. with the endless accessories that you mention, tuffy lockboxes, etc, hockeynut could do a lot worse in terms of protecting his gear and having a pretty badass workbench on the go for his equipment (im gonna feel like an idiot if he isnt the photo guy im thinking of). the best part is the customization that you can do to fit his gear with racks, boxes, etc and still have a nice, fun ride for play time. im a jeeper, so i have a biased opinion, but the versatility of the JK/JKU in terms of what you get out of an automobile (in an non-offroad context) is vastly underrated.

mac5155 wrote:The new ones have gotten a lot better. My point still stands though, but if you dont do much highway or long haul driving, go for it.

I’m sure the interiors are better. The air conditioning in my Wrangler was completely independent from the heater and was located under the dashboard. You had to reach down and turn it on separately. Mine was also the first year of fuel-injected engines (the venerable Jeep 4.0 liter straight six). The new ones aren’t much better on fuel economy, however. I see they get around 18–20 mpg. Mine pretty much got 18 mpg no matter what I did. I could probably have rolled it down a hill with the engine off and still somehow managed to get 18 mpg. On the other hand, it was fun to drive off-road and could go darn near anywhere, and there’s a near-endless array of accessories to pimp your ride. Want chrome door hinges? No problem. Accessory lights like you’re running Baja? You bet. New bumpers? There are literally dozens of options. I used to get big thick catalogs in the mail that were nothing but Wranger parts and accessories.

that 4.0 6 is one of the best engines known to man. its a shame they got away from it. that thing is a tank. with the endless accessories that you mention, tuffy lockboxes, etc, hockeynut could do a lot worse in terms of protecting his gear and having a pretty badass workbench on the go for his equipment (im gonna feel like an idiot if he isnt the photo guy im thinking of). the best part is the customization that you can do to fit his gear with racks, boxes, etc and still have a nice, fun ride for play time. im a jeeper, so i have a biased opinion, but the versatility of the JK/JKU in terms of what you get out of an automobile (in an non-offroad context) is vastly underrated.

canaan wrote:that 4.0 6 is one of the best engines known to man. its a shame they got away from it. that thing is a tank.

Agreed. I outfitted mine with a Borla stainless-steel header and exhaust system. It ran and sounded great. Inline-six engines are also inherently balanced and smooth running. I did have some transmission problems (manual transmission), but never anything with the engine.

I told you guys to talk me out of it! Ugh, I love Wranglers so much and the 4 door would indeed be perfect for taking on shoots. My first choice would be an Unlimited Sport model in Crush orange - such a sweet ride.